1. What does Leadership mean to you?

Leadership to me means laying down the right directives but empowering all team members to take decisions and independently handle responsibilities. It also means identifying each team members strengths and weaknesses and support as required in enhancing skills and ensuring everyone grows together.

2. How do you keep your team motivated?

I try to have one on one sessions regularly to understand any challenges, support required, training needs etc to ensure team is motivated. Sometimes organise casual team dinners and give a chance to everyone to open up and address any doubts.

3. It is said that a leader is as good or as bad as his/ her team. Do you agree? Why?

A leader definitely has an impact on the team and is responsible for his or her growth. I wouldn’t say one leadership style is right or wrong but its about getting the right level of understanding, compatibility and empathy towards each other and be able to ensure that one is learning and growing at all times. Most team members would try to adapt its leaders style and hence one must be open to sharing as much information as possible or encourage team members to learn new skills. The modern day leader would possibly see team members growing faster than earlier provided the right environment and freedom is given. A leader must be able to accept and stand up to the team and own to any mistakes that are committed. 

4. How do you delegate responsibility? What is your mantra for making your team accountable?

Very early in my job in 2008, my leader gave me complete responsibility to run the function that I was hired for. It was a big thing for me at the age of 25 to be given an opportunity to establish my own way of working, set targets and work towards it. This was the biggest learning and I feel is the right way of making the team accountable. One makes mistakes and learns from it and take full accountability. In changing times, every organisation must try to empower and make the team accountable for all deliverables and that’s how the real growth and learning comes in.

5. Have you struggled with work-life balance? How did you handle it? How do you handle it even now? 

Being a woman, one always struggles to maintain the right work life balance. Infact there’s no right or wrong but its about ensuring that while you’re at a particular task you do well and if you’re spending time with ur child, you give undivided attention. One is always multi-tasking but end of the day its important to achieve what was planned as to do in the morning. I try to make my morning to do’s both official and personal and this helps in clearing out and focussing on the right deliverables.

6. What is that key factor that is needed in building great leaders in India Inc.? Do you think any intervention is required in the process?

Having worked with different mindset of companies, MNC’s to an indian company, I feel there is a lot of scope for improvement in leadership styles. The shift from “me to we”, and to give greater responsibility and authority at all levels is needed. Lot of companies look at ROI of each employee but I feel its also important to see what is the employee’s ROI from the organisation, has he gained enough knowledge, has he grown as per speed in the organisation etc. It’s a collaborative approach and if the organisation focusses on training and development of employees but doing the above, it all reflects in work efficiency and happier employees and ultimately the performance.

7. How do you define your vision for your organisation?

My vision is to create a distinguished and knowledge based business which is well respected with the right deliveries and ethics.

8. What matters to you the most – loyalty of your employees or loyalty to your customers/ clients?

To me ethics is the essence of any business whether its from the employees or to the clients. There could ups and downs in any business or mistakes done by employees but its important to own up, address and work towards the right solution.

9. How does competition affect your strategies towards your organisation – for productivity, for turnover, for employees?

Competition is rather good for every business as it increases productivity and motivation to do better. One has to be mindful of competition and device positioning and strategy accordingly. I firmly believe there’s an opportunity and market for everything and it just needs the right direction and strategy to implement the same.